The stars, which usually shone in the sky, were hidden by dark clouds. Lightning streaked though the air, striking Canterlot rooftops and unsuspecting trees, and withdrawing just as quickly. Thunder rumbled through the dark grey storm clouds overhead while torrents of rain pounded down mercilessly onto the cobblestone path of a dark street. The wind whistled as it blew past.
The sound of hurried hooves clopping against stone filled the alleyway as a cloaked figure resembling a pony galloped through the half-lit street. Every few hoofsteps, a splash or a thump could be heard as the pony ran through puddles and dodged stray wheelbarrows, or tried to. The pony in question would occasionally stop by a storefront, then gallop away in search of something else. Eventually, the pony selected a door. They pushed against it and the door was quickly thrown open with a loud BLAM! Immediately a quiet tinkle came from the bell attached to the top of the door frame. The cloaked pony stepped inside.
The room was, for all intents and purposes, a curio shop. Chests and racks of all shapes and sizes were strewn about, with contents just as diverse. The shelves were almost overflowing. There were keys and key chains and potions and empty bottles. Necklaces, rings, masks, amulets, talismans, and so much more. On one side, a counter sat against a wall, presumably where you'd pay for the items. At the back of the room, a simple wooden door led to a storage room.
Ignoring the open door and the raging storm, the pony proceeded to rush over to a random chest located against the wall and rifle through its contents. Only spending a few seconds on it, the pony quickly abandoned it in favor of a shelf next to it. Jumping from shelf to shelf, rack to rack, chest to chest, the pony relentlessly searched for their prize. The pony was so lost in their hunt that they didn't notice when the soft glow of a candle appeared in the dark room.
"May I help you, traveler?"
The pony whirled around to face the speaker, taken by surprise. The shopkeeper was a grey stallion, with a darker, dull blue mane, which was styled in a single braid that hung down the side of his head. He wore a pair of spectacles that rested on his muzzle. He stood next to the counter, where a lighted candle now flickered and bobbed, threatening to be put out by the howling winds from outside.
Without waiting for his answer, the shopkeeper walked behind the counter and continued.
"Hmm... Something drew you to my shop," he mused. "Something powerful..."
A blue hoof poked out from the black cloak and pointed at a glass dome on a shelf behind the salespony. An amulet lay underneath the protective case. It was in the shape of an upside down equilateral triangle, with the head and wings of an alicorn sticking out on top. It was black, sans the diamond in the middle and the alicorn's eye and feathers, which were red.
"Ah yes, the Alicorn Amulet. One of the most mystifying and powerful magical artifacts ponykind has ever known."
The cloaked pony stepped forward eagerly and cried in a feminine voice, "I'll take-! Wait, what's that next to it?"
For next to the glass case containing the Alicorn Amulet, there was another case. Numerous metal locks and chains were wrapped around the case. Inside, a simple blue jewel hung from pale pink straps. At a glance, it looked like an ordinary necklace. But who would keep an ordinary necklace in a glass case with several chains and locks around it?
When he noticed the mare's sudden interest in the necklace, the shopkeeper paled considerably.
"That's... the Talisman of Lethe." Reluctantly, he continued. "It's said to have been a a failed experiment by Starswirl the Bearded, made with a gem that was infused with water from the Lethe River in Tartarus. Supposedly, when you first start wearing it, it only has the power to take away memories, but the more you use it, the more powerful it gets, and the more options you have. It's even more dangerous than the Alicorn Amulet, so we keep it under lock and key. The pony I bought it from seemed quite desperate to get rid of it."
"I'll take the Talisman, then," the mare decided.
The shopkeeper lost what little color he still had on his face and shielded the glass case with his body.
"No! It is far too dangerous."
Unfortunately for him, the mare had come prepared for such a situation. From under her cloak, she produced a large heavy-looking bag that she then dropped onto the counter in front of the stallion. An impressive amount of bits immediately poured out. The shopkeeper instantly brightened.
He galloped to the back of the shop and entered the storage room. When he returned, a set of keys was clutched in his mouth. The shopkeeper quickly set about freeing the Talisman of Lethe. At last, the last chain fell to the ground and he pulled the glass dome off. He picked up the necklace in his mouth, then set it down on the counter, pushing it toward the cloaked mare with his hoof.
"Would you like that gift-wrapped, Miss...?
The mare finally threw the hood off, revealing an azure coat, dark violet eyes, and a pale cornflower blue mane with pale cerulean stripes.
"Lulamoon. Trixie Lulamoon."
The shopkeeper's mouth fell open. In his mind, he quickly put the pieces together as to why Trixie bought the Talisman of Lethe. His eyes grew wide, and his breathing suddenly came in short ragged gasps as his heartbeat quickened. This was Trixie Lulamoon, the very same mare that had lied about defeating an Ursa Major and was humiliated in Ponyville by Princess Celestia's personal student. And now she was Equestria's laughingstock.
The poor stallion couldn't believe he had just sold a highly dangerous artifact to a mare who was surely seeking revenge.
Trixie grinned at the horrified shopkeeper as her horn began to glow, surrounding the talisman in that same pale pink glow. She lifted it up and fastened the around her neck. The shopkeeper could've sworn it had pulsed with a strange blue light as the clasp on the back went click.
Satisfied, Trixie turned to the trembling stallion and smirked.
"Oh, and by the way, if anypony asks..." Her horn began to glow blue, the same color as the amulet around her neck.
"Trixie didn't buy the Talisman of Lethe."
Her horn erupted in a brilliant white light. A blue beam shot straight toward the shopkeeper and nailed him right on his forehead. He was suddenly blinded by a white light, and then darkness.
The shopkeeper groaned and blearily opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of his shop in a rather uncomfortable position, as if someone had knocked him out and hadn't bothered themselves with fixing his position. Outside, the storm was dissipating and the light of dawn could be seen on the horizon.
The confused stallion stood up as he attempted to recall why he had woken on the floor rather than in his bed. Idly, he looked around his shop and his gaze landed on the counter, where a large bag of bits and the set of keys for the Talisman of Lethe's locks sat. On the floor next to the counter was a pile of chains and metal locks and a glass dome. The shopkeeper's mouth flew open as the pieces clicked. The strange gap in his memory, the bag of bits, and the pieces of the talisman's case all added up to someone buying the Talisman of Lethe and then erasing his memory, no doubt to make them impossible to track.
Princess Celestia was going to kill him.
Author's Note
Constructive criticism, please! I need all the help I can get.
Edit: Due to some comments remarking that the ending was a bit redundant, I reread it and realized they were correct. This is the edited version, which I hope isn't as dragged-out as the original.
